Attachment for steel plate and die presses



Se t. ,1926. p 14 s. OHARA ATTACHMENT FOR STEEL PLATE AND DIE PRESSESFiled April 17, 1926 w x \q I! 7 10 21x0 24 I EA" 1f 14 ff I I PatentedSept. 14, 1926.

UNITED STATES SKIDMORE OHARA, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

ATTACHMENT FOR STEEL PLATE -AND DIE PRESSES.

Application filed April 17, 1926. Serial No. 102,817.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in means forprinting or embossing on glass, china, porcelain, enamel or otherfrangible articles.

It is especially intended for attachmentto an automatic steel die andplate press but it is not limited to use with an automatic press. Theordinary steel die and plate press is for a machine which is intendedfor printing or embossing cards and the like from an intaglio steel orcopper die plate but it is not adapted for frangible articles.

The preferred method of printing or embossing on frangible articles ofthe kind above mentioned is to provide in combination with the steel orcopper die a plunger having a pad of gelatin or other suitable resilientmaterial provided with a surface adapted-to take up ink from the metaldie so that the design which is cut in the die may be transferred to theprinting surface of the plunger by bringing said printing surface intopressing engagement with the die to take up the design after the die hasbeen inked, then raising the plunger and withdrawing the die, thenpositioning the article which is to be embossed or printed under theplunger, then operating the plunger to bring the printing surface on towhich the design has been transferred from the die into engagement withthe article to be printed. By this process the printing or embossingmember will do no injury to the work as would be occasioned if the harddie were brought directly into engagement with the work.

The broad idea of the use of the resilient pad or rinting surface tofirst take up the design rom the dieand then to transfer the design tothe work is not intended to be included in the present application. Theobject of the present invention is to provide a plurality of printingsurfaces which may be operated in such manner that while one oftheprinting surfaces is operated to take up ink from the die, anotherprinting surface previously inked may simultaneously therewith bebrought into pressing engagement with the work and then at the nextoperation the pad which has just done the printing may be inked bycontact with the die and a pad which has been inked at the same timewith said previous printing operation by the first pad will print onanother article placed in proper position therefor.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novelfeatures thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claimsat the close of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a device embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at 10 a frame or casting tohold the working parts, said frame having an overhanging arm 11 providedwith a head 9 formed with a guide opening through which a verticallyreciproeable plunger 12 extends. Said plunger is connected with anysuitable connection for giving it a vertical reciprocation. As shown inthe drawings, it is connected by a crank 13 and crank pin 4 with aneccentric 15.

The said plunger 12 is hollowed out to receive the shank or stem 14 ofthe printing member. The said shank or stem 14 is provided at its lowerend with two oppositely extending arms 15, 15, each of which carries aprinting pad 16. The pad 16 is preferably composed of rubber or otherresilient material provided on its under surface with a facing 17 ofgelatine or other suitable yielding material adapted to take up ink froma die when brought into pressing contact therewith and to transfer thedesign to the work when the printing pad is brought into pressingengagement with the work.

The said shank or stem 14 is cylindrical and adapted to rotate in acylindrical bore of the plunger 12. The said stem is formed with twodiametrically opposite notches 18 which are engaged by the spring seatedpins 19 which project from transverse apertures 20 in the wall of theplunger 12. The plunger 12 is formed with two tubular bosses 21 ontoeach of which is screwed a cap 22 thus forming a box in which iscontained a spring 23, one end of which abuts against the head of thecap and the other end of which engages the head of the pin 19. The saidsprings normally press the pins 19, 19 into the notches 18, 18 in theshank 14. The said notches are bevel faced and the said pins havebevelled ends so that the pins will ride 'on its axis by hand or othermeans.

tration with the notches in the stem, the

springs will cause said pins to snapinto the notches and hold the stemin its newly adjusted position until pressure is applied to again rotateit.

Mounted in a guide or track in a bed 24 is a die carrier 25in which ismounted a die 26 on which is'formed in intaglio the design to beembossed upon the work. Said carrier 26 is movable in said track/tobring it out from under the printing member to be inked and then to bemoved back into operative position beneath the printing padfortransferring its design to the pad. Any suitable mechanism may beemployed for this purpose. As shown in the drawings, thedie carrier 25is connected with a rack 27 which is engaged by a pinion 28 mounted on arotary shaft 29. 7 A rotary inking roller 30 is mounted on a shaft 31 solocated that when the die moves out from under the printing member, itwill be engaged by the inking roller 30 which will fill the engraveddepressions in the die with ink. On its return movement, it will passunder a wiper 32. As shown in the drawings, this wiper 32 is a band ofpaper running under guide rollers 33, 33, the lower run of said bandbeing at the right elevation to wipe the surplus ink from the die as itpasses under the 5 work holder 34 is mounted in the bed 24 in positiondirectly beneath one of thepositions of the printing pads. This workholder is preferably adjustable so that it may be brought into properrelation to the printing member. The adjusting means shown comprise twoadjustlng screws 35, 35 which engage opposite ends of the work holder..The work is shown at 36 placed in position beneath one of the printingmembers 16, as shown in Fig. 1.

At each half rotation of the eccentric 15 the plunger 12 will be causedto descend carrying with it the printing press so that one of theprinting pads will be pressed down against the die 26 and at the sametime the other printing pad will come in contact with the work 36. Atthe next half rotation of the eccentric, the plunger will rise carr ingwith it the two printing members. echanism not herein shown ispreferably provided for timing the movement of the die carrier withrelation to the movement of the plunger to cause the die carrier to moveto the right as viewed in Fig. 1, when the printing member rises so asto carry the die back under the inking roller 30 and then back againunder the wiper and into position for the next printing operation.

During this reciprocating movement of i the die carrier, the operativemay. easily rotate the printing press on its axis by a gentle pressureon one of the arms 15 as a lever. Any other suitable means may beemployed to rotate the press. As soon as it has made a half rotation,the pins will snap back into the notches and bring it to a stop, thusproperly positioning the printing members for the next inking andprinting operation respectively. When automatic mechanism is employedfor reciprocating the plunger and the die carrier, the operative shouldtake care to time his rotating oper- 1. In a machine or the characterde-- scribed, a vertically reciprocable plun er having connectedtherewith a rotata le holder for the printing members, a plurality ofprinting members carried by said holder, means for automaticallystopping the rotation of the said holder after a predeterminedfractional part of a rotation, means for actuating the plunger, 'a workholder and a die so positioned that when the plunger makes its downstroke one of the printing members will enga e the die and anotherprinting member Wlll engage the work on the work holder. I

2. In amachine of the craracter described, a vertically reciprocableplunger, a printing pad holder having a stem mounted in said plunger androtatable therein, means for automatically stopping the rotation of theholder after a predetermined fractional part of a rotation, said holdercarryin a plurality of pads havin faces of resilient material adapted tota e up ink from a die and to therewith print the same design uponanother surface, means for actuatmg the plunger, a work holder and a dieso positioned that when the plunger makes its down stroke one of theprinting pads will engage the die, and the other printin pad will engagethe Work on the work hol er.

3. In a machine of the character described, a vertically reciprocablehollow plunger, a holder for a printing member having a cylindricalshank mounted within said plunger and rotatable on its axis therein,ieldmg stop mechanism adapted to stop t e rotation of said holder aftera predetermined fractional part of a rotation, said holder having on itsunder side a plurality of pads provided on their under sides with asurface adapted to take up ink from a die, a work holder and a dieholder respectively located so that one of said pads will be inalinement with the die and another of said pads will be in alinementwith the work holder at the end of each predetermined arc of rotation ofthe pad holder, whereby when the plunger is depressed one of saidprinting pads will be brought into pressing engagement with the die andthe other pad will be brought into pressing engagement with work mountedon the work holder.

4. In a machine of the character described, a vertically reciprocablehollow plunger, a holder for a rinting member having a cylindrical shanmounted within said plunger and rotatable on its axis therein, yieldingmechanism adapted to stop the rotation of said holder after apredetermined fractional part of a rotation, said holder having on itsunder side a plurality of resilient pads provided on their under sideswith a surface adapted to take up ink from a die, a work holder and adie holder respectively located so that one of said pads will be inalinement with the die and another of said pads will be in alinementwith the work holder at the end of each predetermined arc of rotation ofthe pad holder, whereby when the plunger is depressed one of said padswill be brought into pressing engagement with I the die 'and the otherpad will be brought into pressing engagement with work mounted on thework holder, means for reciprocating the die so as to move italternately out 6. In a machine of the character described,

a vertically reciprocable plunger, a holder for a printing membermounted within said plunger and rotatable on its axis, yielding stopmechanism adapted to stop the rotation of said holder after apredetermined fractional part of a rotation, said holdercarrying aplurality of printing members adapted to take up ink from a die, a workholder and a die holder respectively located so that one of saidprinting members will be in alinement with the work holder at the end ofeach predetermined arc of rotation of the holder for the printingmembers whereby when the plunger is depressed one of said printingmembers will be brought into engagement with the die and anotherprinting member will be brought into pressing engagement with the workmounted on the work holder, means for reciprocating the die so as tomove it alternately out from under the printing member and back to itsposition beneath the printing member, and means for inking the dieduring its travel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SKIDMORE OHARA.

